Opinion Sampler: Coming for our guns ...

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

 Sheriffs vs feds: Grandstanding is useless exercise  Salt Lake Tribune EditorialIn light of the Utah Sheriffs Association's recent rant, there are a few clarifications to make concerning the changes in federal gun-control laws being proposed by President Obama.First, there is no proposal to authorize federal agents to seize guns that have been lawfully purchased. Nobody is going to knock on Utahns' doors and demand that the occupants turn over their assault rifles, even if the president's proposals were to become law.Second, while the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution may provide that citizens can arm themselves, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the government has authority under the Constitution to set reasonable limits on gun ownership and use. No one in the Obama administration is suggesting repeal of the Second Amendment. ...

 Utah sheriffs misfire in their attack on Obama's gun measures  Peg McEntee | Salt Lake TribuneIn a show of fevered indignation, the Utah Sheriffs' Association has written a letter excoriating President Barack Obama's proposals to rein in gun violence of the kind that took the lives of 20 Connecticut schoolchildren last month. ...

 Sheriffs must leave the rulings to judges  Logan Herald-Journal EditorialLast week's statement by Utah sheriffs that they'll die before enforcing any new gun laws they deem unconstitutional made good theater. But before the Utah populace gets all worked up in the lawmen's patriotic froth, there are a couple of things to consider  first and foremost that their stand is not patriotic at all but un-American. ...

 Sheriffs' letter an over-reaction  Ogden Standard-Examiner Editorial... Let there be passionate, patriotic debate over gun control, but the incorrect assumptions that the feds are trying to oppress civilians needs to be corrected. ...

 Obama exploits the children  Provo Daily Herald EditorialThe White House statement last week denouncing the National Rifle Association's television ad about security for America's schools was about as brazen as it gets.While accusing the NRA of using children as "pawns in a political fight," President Obama lost no time surrounding himself with children in an orchestrated media event launching his attack on firearms. ...

 I uphold all of the Constitution, not just part of it  Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney | For The Idaho Statesman

 A tragedy beyond understanding  Santa Fe New Mexican EditorialThe shooting deaths of an Albuquerque family, allegedly at the hands of their teenage son and brother, is another horror story in America's never-ending battle with gun violence. ...

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